WaterWorX project: WOP Ghana

• Ghana
• Ghana - Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL)

WaterWorX Ghana

Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) is a fully state-owned utility company responsible for potable water supply to all urban communities in Ghana. This includes industries, commercial, government and domestic customers. GWCL’s yearly production exceeds 310 million a year and employs just over 5,000 staff. The GWCL has initiated various operational improvement in its performance, often based essentially on internally driven reforms.

Unfortunately, access to safe and potable water in urban Ghana is a far cry from the desired situation in which there is water access for all. Currently, water supply coverage in the urban areas of the country around 75%. This means that 25% or about five (5) million people in the urban communities have no access to safe drinking water. In bridging this service gap, GWCL welcomes the WaterWorX peer-to-peer support.

Championed by the Low Income Customer Support Unit, now a full blown department who advocates towards an inclusive water service delivery in which special attention is paid to serving the urban poor and vulnerable, WaterWorX is supporting various water access and operational improvement initiatives.

Since 2019 WaterWorX already funded 3,600 connections in low income communities alongside 34km network extensions. In the next 18 months 2,100 additional subsidized connection will be funded by WaterWorX. These interventions are expected to benefit over 75,000 people directly.

GWCL’s improvement activities which WaterWorX is supporting include among others:

• The establishment of District Metered Areas in various GWCL districts (Adenta, Amasaman and Santeo).
• The improvement of GWCL preventative maintenance practices at our headworks through knowledge sharing and the provision of affordable diagnostic tools such as thermal cameras,  vibration meters, digital clamp meters and insulation resistance testers.
• The utilization of drones to detect water losses, monitor water bodies, produce detailed orthomosaic and elevation maps and inspect our valuable assets.
• ​The creation of a mobile app to digitally capture new service connections in GWCL’s ArcGIS platform with support from WaterWorX partner Tensing, a leading consultancy company in geospatial technologies.
• The development of various documentaries for Operations, the Low Income Support Department and Health and Safety Unit.
• The capacity building of GWCL staff through courses and trainings (such as Excel, data analysis, proposal writing, and hydraulic modelling) and championing the establishment of the Ghana Water Training Institute.
• The identification of new water expansion projects and funding opportunities.

Additionally, with the support of VEI and the European Union, GWCL is now sharing their knowledge on serving low income communities to Guma Valley Water Company, the national water utility responsible for water supply in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

For more information please contact:

Krijn Driessen, Project Manager Ghana
krijn.driessen@vei.nl